Chinese Gold Pandas

The official mint of the People’s Republic of China, known as the Central Mint, produces all coins in China and is also the producer of many other national coins for countries who do not have their own mints. Unarguably, the most well-known product of the Central Mint is the Chinese Gold Panda coin series. First introduced in 1982, this gold bullion coin series was touted as one of the best in the world, and, although it was at first difficult to obtain, every investor had to get their hands on these coins.

The Central Mint of China was first established in Shanghai in 1920 but did not begin producing circulated Chinese coins until 1933. China was dealing with a lot of geopolitical tension throughout the first years of the mint’s existence, so much of the early history is fragmented. In 1937, China’s second major war with Japan began and saw the Central Mint relocate to facilities in Wuchang, Chengdu, Guilin, Lanzhou, and Kunming, but these were all closed by the time the war finally came to an end. Since then, the Central Mint has moved a few more times but is now based in Guishan and has been there since the mid-1970s.

For Westerners and those generally familiar with gold coins, the Central Mint of China is best known for the Gold Chinese Panda coin series. Though the mint itself handles much more than the production of one series of coins, most investors have eyes for the Gold Pandas and the Gold Pandas alone. Investors have long since fallen in love with these coins because of their high purity and detailed design. Investors also love the fact that these coins come from a country as foreign and unfamiliar as China.

Coin Design & Sizes

Chinese Gold Pandas are designed to celebrate the history and beauty of China in the best way that a coin can. First introduced in 1982, Chinese Gold Pandas were available in 1/10 oz, ¼ oz, ½ oz, and 1 oz weights. Only one year after the coin series was introduced, the Central Mint decides that it would add a 1/20 oz variety to complete the series.

Obverse

Beginning in 1982 and continuing up until today, the obverse side of every Chinese Gold Panda has predominantly featured an image of the Chinese Temple of Heaven, located in Beijing. This temple was constructed during the Ming Dynasty and has since become a national landmark of China.

Reverse

The design of the coin’s reverse, however, changes from year to year. While there is always the image of a panda (or group of pandas) on the coin’s reverse, the exact depiction of the animal is always a bit different than the image on the coin released the previous year. The only exception to the annual design change was in 2002, when the image of the pandas was identical to the image on the 2001 release. The fact that the coin’s design is always changing is something that keeps investors coming back and purchasing new releases year after year.

Special Editions

Certain years saw China’s Central Mint introduce 5 oz, 12 oz, and 1 kilo Gold Pandas, but these are found much less frequently than the 1 oz – 1/20 oz varieties.

Purity and Face Value

The Chinese Gold Panda coin series is legal tender in China. The coins carry face values of 500 yuan (1 oz), 200 yuan (1/2 oz), 100 yuan (1/4 oz), 50 yuan (1/10 oz), and 5 yuan (1/20 oz). The one aspect of this coin series that is seen as a drawback is the fact that Gold Pandas only carry a purity of .999. Nowadays, it is much more common to find purity levels .9999 or even .99999, so this lower purity level can be a bit disappointing.

Packaging and Availability

Individual Chinese Gold Pandas will be protected by there mint sealed coin capsules. Larger quantities of the coins will be packaged in their original sealed sheets to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear from showing up on the coin’s face. No matter how many coins you order, we will always safely and discreetly package them for shipping.

Because Chinese Gold Pandas have a rather high demand, hundreds of thousands are minted every year. In recent years, annual mintages of the coin exceeded 150,000, meaning they are widely available and fairly easy to find. Earlier editions of the coin series have mintages well under 100,000 and will naturally be a bit more difficult to find.